Retractable Canopy Apparatus for a Watercraft

ABSTRACT

A retractable canopy apparatus for a watercraft. The apparatus has a housing that is supported by a pair of support arms. The housing further includes a retractable cover wound around an elongated rod that can be extended and retracted from a slot of the housing. The retractable canopy apparatus is attached to a watercraft and the extended cover provides a shaded area thereunder for a user to rest. The apparatus is configured to be secured to a side of a watercraft by a fastener, such as a plurality of suction cups, so that a shaded area may be provided to swimmers in an area surrounding the watercraft.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/547,266 filed on Aug. 18, 2017. The above identified patent application is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety to provide continuity of disclosure.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a retractable canopy apparatus for a watercraft. Many recreational watercraft owners, as well as their friends and families, enjoy swimming in water in the area surrounding their watercraft. However, since a significant amount of recreational watercraft use occurs in weather where an individual may be exposed to significant sunlight. Significant sunlight can cause sunburn, heat exhaustion or other discomfort over small amounts of time, requiring an individual to temporarily relocate to a shaded area. Usually, these individuals will need to exit the water to find a suitably shaded location, requiring the individual to not only exit the water but to dry off as well, making a return to the water inconvenient and potentially uncomfortable.

Current retractable canopy apparatuses provide canopies that can be attached to a side of various recreational vehicles. However, these devices are not configured to be used upon watercraft and do not provide the same mechanism of deployment as the present device.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In view of the foregoing disadvantages inherent in the known types of retractable canopy apparatuses now present in the prior art, the present invention provides a retractable canopy apparatus wherein the same can be utilized for providing convenience for the user when deployed upon a watercraft to be utilized by an individual in a body of water adjacent to the watercraft.

The present system comprises a housing attached to a bracket wherein the bracket is configured to attach the housing to a watercraft. The housing defines a cavity wherein an elongated rod is disposed therein. The elongated rod is operably attached to a spring-biased roller assembly. A cover is attached by a first end to the elongated rod. The housing defines a slot configured to enable the cover to extend and retract when pulled by a second end thereof through the slot. A plurality of jointed support arms comprised of a first member and a second member joined by a rotatable joint are attached to the housing. The rotatable joint is configured to receive a pair of opposing corners on a second end of the cover thereto. A plurality of fasteners is attached to distal ends of the second members and are configured to secure the cover at a desired angle.

Another object of the present invention is to provide at least one handle disposed on the second end of the cover to enable easier extension and retraction of the cover by a user.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a bracket composed of a plurality of suction cups configured to secure the housing to a watercraft.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a plurality of fasteners comprised of a plurality of suction cups to provide waterproof security to the positioning of the cover.

Still yet another object of the present invention is to provide a plurality of pivotable magnetic fasteners by which the first member of the jointed support arm is attached to an external surface of the housing.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a plurality of jointed support arms wherein the second member of each jointed support arm is slidably adjustable in length to adjust the position of the cover when the cover is extended.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a retractable canopy apparatus that is configured to be placed into a folded position for storage.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Although the characteristic features of this invention will be particularly pointed out in the claims, the invention itself and manner in which it may be made and used may be better understood after a review of the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein like numeral annotations are provided throughout.

FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of an embodiment of the retractable canopy apparatus.

FIG. 2 shows a close-up view of a jointed support arm of an embodiment of the retractable canopy apparatus.

FIG. 3 shows a close-up rear view of the housing of an embodiment of the retractable canopy apparatus.

FIG. 4 shows a perspective view of an embodiment of the retractable canopy apparatus in a folded position.

FIG. 5 shows a perspective view of an embodiment of the retractable canopy apparatus in use upon a side of a watercraft.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Reference is made herein to the attached drawings. Like reference numerals are used throughout the drawings to depict like or similar elements of the retractable canopy apparatus. The figures are intended for representative purposes only and should not be considered to be limiting in any respect.

Referring now to FIG. 1, there is shown a perspective view of an embodiment of the retractable canopy apparatus. The retractable canopy apparatus 10 comprises a housing 11 having a sidewall 12, 13, 14, 15, 16. In the shown embodiment, the housing 11 is cylindrical, wherein each wall has an interior surface and an exterior surface. The housing 11 is hollow, defining a cavity 17 therein. The cavity 17 is configured to contain an elongated rod therein. The elongated rod is rotatably attached to the cover 21 and a spring-biased roller assembly is integrated upon the elongated rod. The spring-biased roller assembly comprises a recoil spring configured to enable extension and contraction of the cover 21 therefrom. In another embodiment, a manually-operated crank may be utilized to contract the cover 21.

A bracket 18 is attached to the external surface of the rear wall 14 of the housing 11. The bracket 18 is configured to hold the housing 11 onto a wall of a watercraft. In one embodiment, the bracket is comprised of an arm 19 with a plurality of couplers 20 thereon. In another embodiment, the plurality of couplers 20 is comprised of a plurality of suction cups. In yet another embodiment, a pair of brackets 18 are attached to the housing 11 at the opposing side walls 16.

A cover 21 having a first end and a second end 22 is attached by the first end to the elongated rod and wound therearound. Due to the presence of the spring-biased roller assembly, the cover 21 is extendable and retractable. In one embodiment, the cover 21 further comprises a handle disposed on the second end 22 thereof adapted to enable a user to pull thereon to extend and retract the cover 21.

A plurality of jointed support arms 24 is attached to housing 11. Each jointed support arm of the plurality of jointed support arms 24 is comprised of a first member 25 attached by a joint 26 to a second member 27. The first member 25 is attached at a proximal end to the housing 11 and at a distal end to the joint 26. The second member 27 is attached at a proximal end to the joint 26 and at a distal end to a fastener of a plurality of fasteners 28. In one embodiment, the plurality of jointed support arms 24 is a pair of jointed support arms wherein each first member 25 of each jointed support arm 24 is attached at the proximal end to a distal edge of the exterior surface of the front wall 15. The proximal end of the first member 25 is connected to the housing 11 by a foldable hinge 29 configured to enable the first member 25 to fold inward towards a center point of the housing 11.

Referring now to FIG. 2, there is shown a close-up view of a jointed support arm of an embodiment of the retractable canopy apparatus. Each jointed support arm of the plurality of jointed support arms 24 comprises a joint 26. In one embodiment, the joint 26 is a rotatable joint. The joint is configured to receive one of a pair of opposing corners of the second end of the cover therein. When the opposing corners of the second end interact with the joint 26, the cover will be held in an open position wherein the cover will provide shade to a user situated below the cover.

In one embodiment, the second member 27 is configured to be slidably adjustable in length. In a further embodiment, the second member 27 is composed of a small bar 30 inserted into a large bar 31 with an integrated tension device therein. The integrated tension device is configured to frictionally hold the position of the small bar 30 inside of the large bar 31. By adjusting the length of the second member 27, the user can adjust the angle at which the cover extends from the housing. Depending on the positioning of the sun while the user is in the water, a steeper or flatter angle may be desired.

The plurality of fasteners 28 attached to the distal end of the second member 27 are configured to engage a side wall of a watercraft to provide a support system to hold the cover in an open position. In one embodiment, the plurality of fasteners 28 is a plurality of suction cups.

Referring now to FIG. 3, there is shown a close-up rear view of the housing of an embodiment of the retractable canopy apparatus. In one embodiment, the bracket 18 is configured to rest over a side wall of a watercraft to hold the housing 11 over the side of a watercraft. Under this embodiment, the brackets 18 comprise a pair of L-shaped rods 32 attached to the external surface of the bottom wall of the housing with a plurality of couplers 20 affixed to the pair of L-shaped rods 32 distally and opposite of the housing 11 and configured to attach to an internal surface of a side wall of a watercraft to secure the retractable canopy apparatus thereupon.

Referring now to FIG. 4, there is shown a perspective view of an embodiment of the retractable canopy apparatus in a folded position. The folded position of the retractable canopy apparatus is defined where the cover is in a fully retracted position, each first member 25 of the plurality of jointed support arms is inwardly folded towards a center point of the housing, each second member 27 of the plurality of jointed support arms is outwardly folded to a position adjacent to and parallel to each first member 25.

In one embodiment, the plurality of jointed support members are secured to the housing by a plurality of pivotable magnetic fasteners. The plurality of pivotable magnetic fasteners are configured to hold the first member 25 to the housing 11 through the use of a magnetic force thereof.

Referring now to FIG. 5, there is shown a perspective view of an embodiment of the retractable canopy apparatus in use upon a side of a watercraft. When the retractable canopy apparatus 10 is in use upon a side wall of a watercraft 34, a user 33 may position themselves thereunder while in a body of water 35 to be in a shaded area.

It is therefore submitted that the instant invention has been shown and described in various embodiments. It is recognized, however, that departures may be made within the scope of the invention and that obvious modifications will occur to a person skilled in the art. With respect to the above description then, it is to be realized that the optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of the invention, to include variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation, assembly and use, are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are intended to be encompassed by the present invention.

Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention. 

I claim: 1) A retractable canopy apparatus for a watercraft comprising: a housing defining a cavity therein; a bracket attached to the housing wherein the bracket is configured to attach the housing to a watercraft; a cover disposed in the cavity attached at a first end to an elongated rod disposed in the cavity and operably connected with a spring-biased roller assembly; the housing having a slot configured to allow the cover to extend and retract therethrough; a jointed support arm attached to the housing comprising a first member attached to a second member at a rotatable joint; the rotatable joint configured to fasten a pair of opposing corners to a second end of the cover to hold the cover in an open position; and a plurality of fasteners attached to a plurality of distal ends of the second members. 2) The retractable canopy apparatus of claim 1, further comprising one or more handles disposed on the second end of the cover. 3) The retractable canopy apparatus of claim 1, wherein the bracket includes a fastener. 4) The retractable canopy apparatus of claim 3, wherein the fastener is a suction cup. 5) The retractable canopy apparatus of claim 1, wherein the plurality of fasteners is comprised of a plurality of suction cups. 6) The retractable canopy apparatus of claim 1, wherein the plurality of jointed support arm is attached to the housing by a pivotable magnetic fastener. 7) The retractable canopy apparatus of claim 1, wherein the second member is configured to be slidably adjustable in length. 8) The retractable canopy apparatus of claim 1, wherein the canopy apparatus is configured to be placed into a folded position wherein the cover is in a fully retracted position, the first member of the jointed support arm is inwardly folded towards a center point of the housing, the second member of the jointed support arm is outwardly folded to a position adjacent to and parallel to the first member. 